Blog Archives

Updated: December 14th 2017

Welcome to The Watch List, a resource to help RSO owners identify the storylines, players and matchups from the college game that deserve your attention. To view my weekly picks, follow me on Twitter @robertfcowper. During the college bowl season, The Watch List will continue to update you on who is fantasy relevant and worth your draft capital next year. Note: times listed are Eastern.

The offensive/defensive rankings in this one make for an interesting matchup. Neither team throws the ball well but both run the ball with aplomb (UAB averages 190 yards per game while Ohio averages 245). When UAB is running the ball it’ll be strength against strength with the Ohio rush defense. Ohio’s offense is led by the two-pronged ground attack of JUCO transfer QB Nathan Rourke and RB AJ Ouellette. Rourke has an incredible amount of rushing touchdowns: 21. That is 2nd overall in the FBS – not among QBs, among all players. It’s four more than Lamar Jackson has. Ouellette is injured and his status for the bowl is unknown. He finished 5th in the MAC in rushing but durability is a concern as I pointed out back in Week 10 before his most recent injury. Backup RB Dorian Brown is also questionable so the bulk of the carries may have to go to undersized freshman Julian Ross (who went 19-81 against Buffalo in the team’s last game). UAB also has their own mobile QB, AJ Erdely, who transferred from Middle Tennessee State. Eredely’s rushing stats pale in comparison to Rourke, but he completes more passes (61.8% vs 54.2%) and has a better TD:INT ratio. UAB’s lead back is freshman Spencer Brown (1,292 yards, 10 TDs). It’s worth noting that this is UAB’s first season back in the FBS after ending their football program in 2014. Bill Clark is a name that nobody knows but that should be getting national recognition. He has done a fantastic job getting UAB to just its second ever bowl while also setting the school record for wins in a season since joining the FBS in 1996. I’m really torn on this one. As much as I’d love to root for a UAB bowl victory, which would have been improbable in September, the Bahamas Bowl will come down to the health of Ohio’s running backs and whether their rush defense can slow down Brown. I’ll guess that one of the injured Ohio backs can play and that UAB won’t be able to slow down the tandem with Nathan Rourke. Prediction: Ohio

This is an odd game to break down. When I first saw that Wyoming ended bowl eligible and was picked for a game, I figured I would have to go deep on QB Josh Allen but I find myself more excited by the Chippewas. Allen, as you probably know, is a first round NFL Draft prospect who struggled mightily this season before hurting his shoulder. That 101st ranking for the Cowboys’ passing offense is not a typo – they were that bad. Honestly, the shoulder injury might have done more to help his draft stock rather than hurt it. Before going down, Allen was averaging just 165.8 yards per game with a disappointing 56.2% completion percentage. His passer rating was 124.0 (ranked 97th in the FBS). Allen’s yards per pass also decreased about 25% from last season. So, if the stats are so bad, why is Allen still considered a first round draft prospect? Because he can do things like this. That play is loaded with positives if you watch closely. First off, Allen is under center (which he does a minority of the time but it’s more than most other QB prospects). Second, he really sells the play fake, using his prototypical size to hide the ball from the defense. Third, he delivers a nicely timed ball to his back who is running a wheel route from the backfield. Despite all the negatives, it’s this potential that has scouts excited. I’m hopeful that Allen plays so we can see him once more heading into the NFL Draft. Heading into the season, I predicted good things for Central Michigan and thought they would be a “spoiler” in the conference. Turns out, I had that right. CMU won close games against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois, both of which were predicted to finish ahead of them in the division by Phil Steele; they even got a win over Ohio, the predicted best in the East division. CMU has two players I like: former Michigan QB Shane Morris and big play WR Corey Willis. Morris turns the ball over too much (13 INTs) and does not complete enough of his passes to be a real worry but he’s experienced and a former Michigan man so I like him. If you throw out a bad game against Boston College his stats would look better (yeah, yeah, I know I’m cherry picking). In the preseason, I compared Willis to John Brown from the Arizona Cardinals and thought his draft stock could mirror that of 2016 stat-stuffer Taywan Taylor. Unfortunately, injuries slowed Willis and limited him to just eight games. Still, those games were encouraging. He totaled 42-625-9 on the season and had four big games since returning from injury. Willis has at least one touchdown in five straight games, scoring eight of his nine touchdowns in that span. It doesn’t get much more under the radar than Willis: NFLDraftScout.com has him as the 46th ranked receiver in his class while Phil Steele had him as the 72nd ranked draft eligible receiver. I might be the only draft analyst advocating for Willis but I really am a believer and will enjoy watching him in the bowl game and at the combine. Prediction: Central Michigan

Here’s a prop bet for you: take the over on the total number of yards earned by Texas Tech and South Florida in the Birmingham Bowl. I’ll guess that combined the teams gain somewhere between 950-1,000 yards combined. This one may not feature the best football but it will be fun to watch. It’ll be long too with all the scoring so I recommend DVRing it and watching it on fast forward later in the day. Not surprisingly this is the first matchup between the two teams in their history and it was made possible by the fact that the SEC didn’t have enough teams to fulfill all of its bowl tie-ins. That isn’t to say the SEC was weak, it’s just that Georgia, Alabama and Auburn will all be playing in a New Year’s Six bowl which means less teams for the lower bowls. Texas Tech’s offense is led by junior QB Nic Shimonek and WR Keke Coutee. Shimonek is very efficient as a passer and ranks near the top of many passing categories such as completions, completion percentage and passer rating. His TD:INT ratio is 30:8 which is good too. Even though he has thrown the ball well this season, he was briefly benched for a game by coach Kliff Klingsbury. Shimonek came off the bench versus Texas in that game and led the team to a win; he’s already been confirmed as the bowl game starter. His top target, Coutee, has an 82-1,242-9 line on the season. South Florida is powered by the legs and the arm of QB Quinton Flowers. Flowers has 31 total passing and rushing touchdowns this season and 107 during his career. It’s a shame he’s so undersized (6’0″ and 210lbs) or he’d be a fun draft prospect to evaluate; chances are he’ll still give the NFL a shot but likely after a position change. Flowers is a winner: he has led the Bulls to a 29-9 record over the last three seasons. He should notch another one here to cap off a prolific career. Prediction: South Florida

Oh San Diego State, one of my favorite teams of the year. Their 12th ranked rushing offense is paced by RB Rashaad Penny who has undoubtedly made himself a millionaire this season with his meteoric rise. In the preseason, I mentioned Penny as a special teams difference maker. In Week 3, I discussed how Penny helped the Aztecs overcome their first Power 5 opponent in Arizona State. By Week 5, the Aztecs made it into my “Games to Watch” segment with Penny as the headliner. Come Week 6, I spotlighted Penny as my top player to watch that week and had already run out of superlatives for his success. A week later, Penny was in my “Heisman Watch” segment. Sure, Penny’s meteor has fallen back to earth but he’s still a great player who deserves your attention. Penny has 2,169 total yards (most in the FBS) and 24 total TDs on the season. Those scores break down to 19 rushing, 2 receiving, 2 kick return and 1 punt return. He truly is a jack-of-all-trades and may be a top ten RB in the 2018 rookie class. Army is led by senior QB Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw is a “quarterback” only in the sense that he takes the ball from under center each play. He passes so infrequently that Sports-Reference.com shows his rushing stats ahead of his passing stats (he went 1-1 for 20 yards against Navy). He is a very effective rusher who averages 7.5 yards per attempt, for a total of 1,566 yards and 12 TDs this season. Not surprisingly, Army has a stable of backs with 500+ yards including Darnell Woolfolk, Kell Walker and Andy Davidson. If you didn’t watch Army’s last game against Navy in the snow, you missed one heck of a game that Army pulled out late. The game against Navy is, without a doubt, the biggest game of their season but I’m sure they will get up again next week for SDSU. Ultimately, I think the strong Aztec defense plus Penny will be too much to overcome for Army. In case this one is close, I will note that San Diego State has a good kicker in John Baron; he only went 12-15 this season because the offense converted drives into touchdowns but he can be counted on in the clutch. Prediction: San Diego State

Saturday Dec. 23 is looking to be a great day of good games, finishing off with yet another high scoring affair in the Dollar General Bowl. Toledo ended the season on a three game winning streak including the MAC Championship against Akron. Toledo is led by the strength of their offense. Senior RB Terry Swanson is the standout back of the bunch (1,319 yards, 14 TDs). Swanson went for 466 yards and 3 TDs over the last three games of the season including 180-2 in the MAC Championship. Freshman RB Shakif Seymour has earned a larger role of late, especially after a five touchdown game against Bowling Green. The top target for QB Logan Woodside, more on him in a moment, is WR Diontae Johnson. Johnson is a big play guy who averages 17.5 yards per reception and also has two return touchdowns this season. The aforementioned Woodside is Toledo’s best draft prospect but he’s maybe a 7th rounder at best heading into the combine. I watched Woodside earlier in the year against Eastern Michigan and he mostly disappointed in that one. He had fantastic numbers last season (4,129 yards, 45 TDs, 69.1% completion percentage) but just about all of his stats except INTs has regressed in 2017. It’s looking more and more like Woodside will be an UDFA but who knows maybe that works out the best for him so he can choose his landing spot. I included Appalachian State RB Jalin Moore in my Early 2018 Positional Rankings for one reason: his pass blocking will get him drafted. Per Pro Football Focus, Moore has the highest pass blocking efficiency by a running back in the FBS. It was a good thing to see Moore get 12 receptions this year (just five in his first two seasons) because if he’s going to be on the field in pass blocking situations in the NFL he better work on his receiving skills. Moore battled a foot injury this season and missed some time but when he was healthy he was very productive. He had two games over 200 yards (239 and 241) and two games over 100 yards where he also scored 2 TDs. The Mountaineers QB Taylor Lamb is a four year starter who will be playing in his last game for the team. He’s a dual threat (539 yards and 5 TDs rushing) and careful with the ball (just 6 INTs this year). I went into researching this game thinking I would take Toledo and Woodside but I’m now leaning towards App State. They have the better defense and I have a gut feeling Lamb will show-out. Prediction: Appalachian State

Fresno State is probably the bowl team that I have the least feel for – I can’t recall watching a single minute of their games this season before the MWC Championship. Fresno won four straight to earn that MWC Championship game berth, including a win over 23rd ranked Boise State. Lead WR KeeSean Johnson could be a longshot 2019 NFL Draft prospect if he improves his stats again in 2018. His receptions, yards, yards per reception and touchdowns have all increased year over year. In 2017 he finished with 66 receptions, 918 yards and 8 TDs. Fresno’s rush attack is led by a trio of underclassman including freshman Jordan Mims (142 attempts, 604 yards, 6 TDs), sophomore Josh Hokit (117-519-7) and freshman Ronnie Rivers (95-473-5). Mims is the go-to guy, he had 10+ carries in eight straight games before the MWC Championship game, but it’s definitely a “hot hand” situation. The Cougars offense is not in good shape, despite their middling rankings, and clearly misses former head coach Tom Herman. They are currently on their third starting quarterback, having settled on dual threat freshman D’Erig King in late October. Since taking over, King has 6 passing TDs and 7 rushing TDs. Houston has one player that you must watch: DT Ed Oliver. Oliver is just a sophomore so he’s not draft eligible but I’ll bet he’s in the conversation for a Top 10 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He’s 6’3″ and 290lbs but athletic. His stats won’t be amazing because he is often double teamed but he still managed 69 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 3 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2017. Total gut call but I have more faith in Fresno State’s offense after doing my research so I’ll take them and the bonus that is their strong defense. Prediction: Fresno State

West Virginia enters the Heart of Dallas Bowl with their 12th ranked pass offense in flux. QB Will Grier is questionable after a finger injury ended his season early. In the game and a half the Mountaineers played without Grier, backup Chris Chugunov went 24-46 for 326 yards and 1 TD. The team did lose both of those games though, one against Texas and one against Oklahoma. I covered Grier back in Week 8 but since he’s injured I won’t go into more detail here other than to say that I am lower on him than others. The must-watch offensive prospect, in my opinion, on West Virginia is QB turned WR David Sills. Sills has good height at 6’3″ and uses that size to be a dominant red zone target. Sills totaled 18 TDs on the season (enough to lead the FBS); 12 of those TDs came in the red zone. NFLDraftScout.com predicts Sills to have 4.58 speed which not elite but is good enough and subsequently has him as the 6th ranked WR in his 2019 draft class (note: that does not include other 2018 guys who come out early). WalterFootball.com has him as the 14th if he were to come out this season. I have Sills as my 10th WR for 2018 so I really like his potential. I’ll predict that coach Dana Holgorsen calls up a key trick play where Sills gets to throw the ball and remind everybody that he used to play QB. Utah is also dealing with an injured quarterback as Tyler Huntley is questionable for the bowl. Troy Williams, a former Washington transfer who started in 2016, has not played particularly well in relief duty this year (2 TDs, 4 INTs, 54.5% completion percentage). Senior WR Darren Carrington was unable to cement his status as an NFL Draft prospect but he’ll still get a late round look (66-918-6 this season). The Utes best shot at a win is to ride RB Zack Moss. Moss has 1,023 yards rushing, 9 rushing TDs, 28 receptions and 234 yards receiving this season. When Utah has the ball, pay attention to West Virginia S Kyzir White, brother of Bears WR Kevin White. White is a top safety prospect who has 81 tackles and 3 INTs this season. As long as Chugunov can get the ball to Sills and target-hog Gary Jennings (94 receptions) the Mountaineers will be fine against a mediocre Utah team. Prediction: West Virginia

Duke was recently in the college football headlines because head coach David Cutcliffe was offered, and declined, the Tennessee job. Considering what a sideshow that search became, I think we would all agree that was a good decision by Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe has brought relevance to a struggling Duke program (they went to four straight bowls from 2012-2015) but finished just 4-8 last season. I’m not a Duke fan and don’t follow the team closely but from afar I have to say that I like Cutcliffe and appreciate that he shunned a bigger job to continue building at Duke. Maybe one reason Cutcliffe decided to return was the opportunity to continue working with redshirt sophomore QB Daniel Jones. Jones has prototypical height at 6’5″ but needs to add weight to his 215lb frame. Of the 18 quarterbacks who were drafted since 2010 and measured at 6’5″ or taller at the combine, none weighed less than 223lbs. Per my two favorite draft sources, WalterFootball.com has him as the 15th ranked quarterback if he came out in 2018 while NFLDraftScout pegs him as the 6th best if he waits until 2020. Jones will be best served by another season or two in college because he wouldn’t get drafted today based on his production. His completion percentage is too low (55.7%) and his TD:INT is poor (12:11). Part of that could be excused by a lackluster supporting cast but a top quarterback prospect needs to transcend his team. Keep an eye on Jones to see if he improves next season. The NIU quarterback situation is the polar opposite of the stability that Duke enjoys. Like the Houston Cougars, the Huskies are on their third starting quarterback this year, moving on from the first two due to injury and ineffectiveness. They are currently starting dual threat freshman Marcus Childers. Childers took over in October and has been productive: 20 combined passing and rushing TDs. Protecting the blindside of Childers is a mountain of a man named Max Scharping. Scharping, a junior, is 6’6″ and 312lbs. Per Pro Football Focus he is third in the nation in pass blocking efficiency by offensive tackles. According to their stat guide, Scharping has only allowed one hit and just four hurries. If Scharping comes out, I’ll bet he’s a Day Two prospect. Neither team really won my heart here but I’ll go with NIU and their stronger scoring offense. Prediction: Northern Illinois

Apologies to Kansas State and legendary head coach Bill Snyder but this preview is all about UCLA’s Josh Rosen because he will be the biggest topic of conversation in this one. The Rosen discussion, is dominated by one thought: will Rosen even play? One of the oft-mentioned negatives of Rosen is that he might lack the passion for the game that some players exude. I’ve heard some pundits say something to the effect of Josh not “needing” the game. I obviously don’t know Rosen personally and haven’t studied him enough to have my own opinion but it does worry me that if that is true maybe he won’t bother suiting up for this meaningless game. We saw a number of top prospects take that approach last year (Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffery) and can you really blame them? The first overall pick and millions of dollars are on the line for Rosen. I would not at all be surprised to read reports of Rosen’s shoulder injury “lingering” long enough to keep him out of the Cactus Bowl. Regardless of whether he plays or how well he plays, Rosen is my pick for the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. I have gonedeep on Rosen earlier in the season so I won’t rehash everything here but long story short is that he is the most pro-ready quarterback in the class. He plays in a pro-style offense, has good size and arm strength and has been very productive in college. He’s not without his negatives (i.e. the aforementioned mentality questions, low completion percentage, some poor decisions) but he has a high floor. His ceiling may not be as high as somebody like Sam Darnold, who is younger but needs more seasoning for the NFL level, but Rosen is worthy enough of the top pick and can start from Day One. I lied about ignoring Kansas State because there are three things I want to touch on. First, starting QB Jesse Ertz is out and has been replaced by freshman Skylar Thompson, a QB with the same size and skill set as Ertz. Second, Junior CB D.J. Reed is a difference maker on defense (43 tackles, 4 INTs, 9 passes defended) and on special teams (2 TDs, led Big 12 in punt and kickoff yards per return) when he is healthy. Unfortunately, Reed is hurt and it’s unsure if he’ll be able to play. If he does, I’ll be interested to see him vs Rosen. Third, Kansas State has an interesting OL prospect in junior Dalton Risner. Risner was the team’s starting C as a redshirt freshman and has since switched over to RT. He is ranked second in the pass block efficiency stat by PFF at the tackle position. If Risner enters the NFL Draft as a C prospect he could be a Day Two pick due to his versatility. It’s hard to throw out praise for a team’s starting quarterback like I did and then pick against them but that’s exactly what I’m going to do. If Rosen can’t or won’t go, they could have to go to third stringer Matt Lynch because backup Devon Modster is questionable with his own injury. No thanks, let’s go Wildcats. Prediction: Kansas State

Note: When watching film for a player in the offseason, I typically pick two games at random to watch. If game film is not available I will search for highlight reels, but keep in mind these are the best plays that player had all season so they really need to jump off the screen. I do not necessarily want to watch games where they did very well or very poorly as that may not be a great illustration of their true ability. If possible, when comparing players at the same position I also like to watch film against common opponents. Full disclosure, I am not watching film of every single game any player plays, instead I am looking for a representative sample. When researching college players I use a number of resources, I would recommend bookmarking the below sites…

Robert F. Cowper is a freelance writer who lives in New Jersey. Robert works as a recreation professional, specializing in youth sports, when he isn’t acting as commissioner for his many fantasy sports leagues.

Updated: July 23rd 2017

Welcome to The Watch List, a resource to help RSO owners identify the players, storylines and matchups from the college game that deserve your attention. Check back throughout the Summer for previews on each conference and my preseason Heisman predictions. During the regular season, The Watch List will continue to update you on who is fantasy relevant and worth your draft capital next year.

Players to Watch

Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming: Depending on where you look, junior Josh Allen is one of the top quarterback prospects for 2018 along with USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen. I had heard and read some of the Allen hype, so going into my MWC preview, I knew he would be featured. I honestly came away a bit disappointed but with a lot of notes. I decided to watch tape of Allen against Nebraska, figuring that was the most NFL-like defense he would have faced. Nebraska predictably dominated at the line of scrimmage and Allen was under pressure all game long. Allen finished with a horrible stat line: 16-32, 189 yards, 1 TD, 5 INTs (he also had a backward pass that was recovered as a fumble and was not charged to him). He was erratic and inaccurate for most of the game including three bad under throws which led to interceptions. The inaccuracy is borne out in his season totals too: a poor 56% completion percentage and 15 INTs. There were also at least two times when Allen was about to be sacked and he just flung the ball trying to avoid the loss; one resulted in an intentional grounding and another harmlessly hit the turf but could have been another turnover. If he doesn’t have pocket presence against Nebraska, will he have it against the Houston Texans? It wasn’t all negative though, there were some good takeaways. First off, Allen is big and statuesque at 6’5″ and 222lb. When he takes a shotgun snap and quickly gets the ball out without a drop step, he looks like an NFL quarterback. He didn’t show it against Nebraska, but Allen is a threat on the ground too (523 yards, 7 TDs). I don’t think it’ll be enough to consider him a mobile quarterback in the NFL but he could have the same 300 yard, 3 TD rushing upside as Andrew Luck if he puts on a few pounds. NFL personnel will also like the fact that Wyoming’s offense features a number of plays from under center: against Nebraska, I counted ten snaps from under center. One play against Nebraska sums up everything Allen can do right… It was a 4th and 12 from 35 yards out with just a few seconds to go in the half. Not trusting the kicker, Allen and the offense stayed on the field. He rolls right to buy time for his receivers, starts directing traffic in front of him and hurls a high arching pass to the back corner where nobody but his receiver could get to it – near perfection. If Allen can show scouts, and RSO owners, plays similar to that throughout 2017 he will stay at the top of draft boards. Luckily, two early season games against Iowa and Oregon will give us some good tape to digest. At this point, I expect Allen to go in the Top 5 in the NFL draft and depending on your RSO format, anywhere from mid- or late 1st (Superflex) to mid-2nd (standard).

Brett Rypien, QB, Boise State: Rypien, another junior QB, is Phil Steele’s 15th ranked draft eligible quarterback for 2018. Another resource I use, Lindy’s, has him at 17th but says they don’t think he will come out early. I did some further online research and couldn’t come up with anything more definitive either way. For now, keep Rypien on your radar but don’t waste a devy pick on him. He won’t be the best at his position in the MWC but he could garner enough draft hype to force him to come out. He’s significantly smaller than Allen (6’2″, 200 lb) which caught my eye because media guides often lie and that even 200 sure looks like it was rounded up. I looked back and there are not many QBs in recent years who weigh as little as 200 lb. The lightest two from 2017 were Brad Kaaya (214) and Seth Russell (213) but at least they were an inch or two taller. Rypien is not a scrambler, but still, NFL scouts will be concerned about his ability to stay healthy throughout a season. His stats over two years as the starter are good: nearly 7,000 yards, 44 TDs, 16 INTs and a 62.8% completion percentage. Ultimately, I think Rypien’s stock will be buoyed by the name cachet of Boise State and some gaudy numbers, like the 5 TD game against New Mexico last year, but once he hits the combine, his stock will fall.

Cedric Wilson, WR, Boise State: Rypien will need somebody to throw to and more often than not, that will be 2016 JUCO transfer Cedric Wilson. Wilson is tall at 6’3″ but needs to add at least ten pounds to his 183 lb frame (since 2010, no WR measuring 6’3″ weighed less than 194 lb at the combine). I watched Wilson’s tape against San Jose State and he really impressed me as a blocker: he flew in with reckless abandon, and with effect, multiple times. I was disappointed in seeing how often he lets the ball get into his body rather than catching it with his hands, hopefully something he can improve on. In the tape I watched, it seemed that his height was wasted on crossing patterns and bubble screens, routes that don’t seem to match his stature; I’d need to watch more film to see if that was constant throughout the season. Wilson averaged an impressive 20.2 yards per reception in 2016 so even when he gets the ball near the line of scrimmage he can pick up yards.

Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State: Like Wilson, Gallup is a former JUCO transfer so we don’t have much of a sample to work on, although what we do have from 2016 was great: 76 receptions, 1,272 yards and 14 TDs. He had monstrous games against Air Force (13-213-1) and San Diego State (7-139-3) so we know he can dominate a game. I’ll be interested to see how he tests at the combine; when watching highlights of him, it seems like he accelerates faster than anybody else on the field once the ball is in his hands. He had a number of nice contested catches against Fresno State and Air Force so his ability in the air might be better than his 6’1″ height would suggest. I’m going to keep Gallup’s name filed away and check in late in the season to see if he dominates the MWC like he did in 2016. If so, he could be a late round steal for a savvy RSO owner.

Storylines to Watch

It’s all about the Mountain Division: Forgive me West Division, but I just don’t find you interesting. The Mountain will feature a three team race to the conference championship between Boise State, Wyoming and Colorado State. I’ve written enough above and below about Boise and Wyoming, who will go as far as their quarterbacks can carry them, but let me spill a few more words about Colorado State. They won’t feature the best QB in the league in Nick Stevens but they will likely have the most potent ground game. Head Coach Mike Bobo likes to spread the carries around, evidenced by having three 500+ yard rushers the last two seasons. Two of the backs, Dalyn Dawkins and Izzy Mathews, were there for both seasons and will provide a good one-two punch. As I mentioned in my MAC preview when I picked Central Michigan as a potential division spoiler, I like to consult Phil Steele’s experience charts to find teams that could outperform last year. The Rams return a whopping 88% of their offensive yards from 2016 (15th in the NCAA). That bodes well for 2017. The games between Boise, Wyoming and CSU should be fun to watch and will feature a number of NFL prospects. They should be high scoring too: the teams ranked 52nd, 104th and 69th in total defense respectively.

San Diego State’s special teams will steal them a big win: I have otherwise ignored the West Division in this preview but I knew I had to at least mention the team that should win the division: San Diego State. Strangely, it was their special teams that stood out to me. RB/KR Rashaad Penny won MW Special Teams Player of the Year the last two seasons (32.4 average with 5 TDs). Penny will also see an uptick in touches on offense with Donnell Pumphrey gone to the NFL; he had nearly 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 14 combined rushing/receiving TDs in 2016. Kicker John Baron was an impressive 21-23 with a long of 50 yards. Reliable college kickers are hard to come by and an explosive return man can be a significant field position advantage in a close game. My bold prediction is that the combination of Penny and Baron will help the Aztecs steal a non-conference win against either Arizona State or Stanford.

Games to Watch

September 1, Colorado vs Colorado State; September 16, Colorado State at Alabama: The Rams have a tough non-conference schedule in 2017 (also including Oregon State). Colorado and Alabama had the 20th and 24th ranked pass defenses last year, respectively, so they will be a great test for WR Michael Gallup. Gallup went 10-81-1 combined in his two biggest games last year against Colorado and Minnesota so he needs to prove that he can produce against NFL talent, not just against our future servicemen.

October 21, Wyoming at Boise State: It’s all about the two quarterbacks: Rypien vs Allen. Most of the games these two play this season won’t make it onto the national radar but this one should be with a late eastern time zone start time and not much else scheduled against it. They’ll both need to make it count as it will be the biggest game they play in the second half of the season until a bowl game and another national broadcast.

Note: When watching film for a player, I typically pick two games at random to watch. If game film is not available I will search for highlight reels, but keep in mind these are the best plays that player had all season so they really need to jump off the screen. I do not necessarily want to watch games where they did very well or very poorly as that may not be a great illustration of their true ability. If possible, when comparing players at the same position I also like to watch film against common opponents. Full disclosure, I am not watching film of every single game any player plays, instead I am looking for a representative sample. When researching college players I use a number of resources, I would recommend bookmarking the below sites…

Stats: espn.com, sports-reference.com, cfbstats.com

Film: draftbreakdown.com, youtube.com (but be wary of highlight only reels)

Robert F. Cowper is a freelance writer who lives in New Jersey. Robert works as a recreation professional, specializing in youth sports, when he isn’t acting as commissioner for his many fantasy sports leagues.